Gunnar Wetzel '22 Recruiting Profile

My ambition is to attend an academically rigorous university, at which I can study Physical Therapy, while playing on a well rounded, dedicated, and highly competitive basketball team. 

Growing up in a small rural town certainly had its benefits. Attending a small  IIIA school allowed me to explore many different athletic opportunities until I was able to hone in on the sports that I am now most dedicated to;  basketball and football.  

My first athletic passion, since the age of 5 has been basketball.  I played in pee wee leagues, Middle School, High School and for an outstanding AAU team, The Topton Bullets. As a 6’ 3” freshman in high school I started more than forty percent of our varsity games and led our Junior Varsity team to many victories. I was selected by my head coach and teammates to be the recipient of the JV Most Valuable Player. Sophomore year was a year of learning, development, and agility training which found me taking on the role of starting center. I was also afforded the opportunity to play power forward from time to time. I started every Varsity game and proudly earned my Varsity letter. My most memorable accomplishment came in my Sophomore year when as the starting center, our team won the Berks County division. As a 6’ 5” center, I averaged 16 points per game as well as led the team in rebounds. I was recognized as an all county athlete for my role on the team. I am looking forward to playing another highly competitive season during my Junior year. I have set some ambitious team goals as well as personal goals. Another division title and an opportunity to play in the state tournament is my first goal. Personally, I am on track to score 1,000 points and will continue to strive to meet this goal over the next 2 years of my high school basketball career. 

My athletic ability and participation in many sports throughout my athletic career, which began at the age of 5, has driven me to pursue a career that will benefit athletes by keeping them healthy, fit and in their game. I have been fortunate to have had incredible athletic trainers and therapists over the course of my athletic career thus far which has led me to pursue a degree in the field of Physical Therapy. Academically, I find myself experiencing high levels of success in the sciences. 

I see my years in college to be a time for personal growth both on the court as well as academically. On the court, I will be a dynamic player and teammate. My leadership skills are most certainly an asset that I will bring to the court to support and encourage my teammates. My family mantra is ‘Work hard! Play hard!” That is exactly what I intend to do. I will conduct myself both on and off the field with honor and integrity as I understand that my character is reflected in all that I do. 

I would like to put in a special thank you to my parents, siblings, grandparents and all of my coaches for their continuous support, dedication to running me to practices, tournaments and games, and the unconditional love they all provided which has helped me grow into the person that I have become and the person I continue to develop.